recumbent said:
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I've gotten dirty looks at one coffee shop where i charge, and would like to write them a polite letter to let them know how little power we actually use.
I know there's a formula, and this question's been asked before, (but differently)
For every hour i use my 3amp, 110volt charger, at .5 cents per kw/hr, how much does it cost?
some thoughts:
The issue you are trying to addresss, I presume, is that you are a customer at this coffee shop (I hope), and they have some anxiety about the cost of letting you charge your ebike while there. Right?
All of the previous calculations are pretty accurate about the incremental costs you are presenting to the retailer as a customer. But to make things easy, lets say it is between 2 cents and a dime for the longest charge.
Every professional retailer knows that they have to spend some money to get customers to walk in the door, usually called marketing or advertising. some do it by superb customer relations (Nordstroms, Whole Foods) other by print advertising in magazines and newspapers ( Auto manufacturers).
They all would love to have a business model where they only had to pay about a nickel to get a customer in the door. That customer is YOU. (And many of us)
One problem is that managers look at the size of our ebikes and batteries and don't realize we are only consuming about as much energy as two average laptops. And they really court that laptop crowd. Since our ebike is 20 times then size of a laptop, they think 20 times the cost.
(when folks plug their laptops in, they are not only charging the battery, but also running the laptop. we are only charging a battery)
Anyway the date here is accurate. Here in colorado we have had numerous discussions with store owners, some of which have explained the above to me. Some have asked me to tell all my ebike buddies that they get free charging while using their establishment. Some stores here include: Starbucks, Einsteins, Panara, Safeway, Krogers, Walmart, Albertsons, Whole Foods. Just yesterday, at the new store in town Sunflowers (owned and run by the previous Wild Oats group) we were told by the store director we could charge our ebikes INSIDE for additional security.
But it has taken quite a few iterations over 6 years to get my spiel down so that I am not patronizing or condesending, but brief, accurate and informative. I always emphasize that I am a regular customer, tell all my friends what a great store this is, and how smart the people are to support this new way of shopping and travelling.
(I have heard some people's concerns about the risk of letting us charge. Maybe remind people it is the same technology, batteries, and chemistry as in a laptop. And laptops get used on airplanes).
A Customer's money does not come free to retailers. Lights have to be on, Toilets get used and have to be cleaned, condiments and utensils disappear, all in addition the the product sold. So I feel for the retailer.
My approach has been: Make it EASY for the retailer to do what I want them to do for me.
if you are going to write something, make it generic enough to hand to other retailers too.
good luck
d
)
My numbers seem like low estimates. It is probably more like 1000 miles for a dollar.
In our lifetimes, it may be.
